Cruz's Texas victory shows tea party staying power

Ted Cruz, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks to the media, the day after defeating Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in a runoff primary election, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012, in Houston. Cruz says his tea party supporters who helped him pull off an upset in the Republican primary runoff are "everyday Texans" who want common sense answers to problems plaguing the country. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Brett Coomer)
— AP

Ted Cruz, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks to the media, the day after defeating Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in a runoff primary election, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012, in Houston. Cruz says his tea party supporters who helped him pull off an upset in the Republican primary runoff are "everyday Texans" who want common sense answers to problems plaguing the country. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Brett Coomer)
/ AP

Expect an even bigger impact in February when the government approaches the $16.4 trillion ceiling on federal debt. Raising it again is anathema to tea partyers.

Republicans are already welcoming Cruz's arrival.

"People are mad at Washington, D.C., they're mad at what they perceive to be the establishment and they want some change," said Sen. John Cornyn, a fellow Texan and head of the Republicans' Senate campaign arm. "I certainly understand why."

Just how much the tea party's impact grows in the Senate depends on the outcome of seven other races.

In Indiana, Mourdock still has to defeat Democratic Rep. Joe Donnelly in November.Nebraska State Sen. Deb Fischer ran as a strict conservative to emerge from a crowded primary and will take on former Sen. Bob Kerrey in a race to replace Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson.

The three candidates in Missouri's GOP primary have all brandished their deep conservative credentials as they compete to take on embattled Sen. Claire McCaskill. And several of the candidates in Wisconsin's hotly contested Republican Senate primary later this month have positioned themselves as tea party alternatives to former GOP Gov. Tommy Thompson. The winner will face liberal Democratic Rep. Tammy Baldwin in November.

In addition, Rep. Connie Mack, the strong favorite in a Republican primary to take on Sen. Bill Nelson in Florida, has expressed support for the tea party movement, as have Josh Mandel, the Republican-nominated challenger to Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio. Former Sen. George Allen has picked up some tea party support in what will be a tight Senate race in Virginia against former Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine.